Aka no Exorcist: 赤の 祓魔師
by webidolchiu94
Summary: A blue demon, huh? Whatever happened to the trope Blue Oni, Red Oni? You've gotta have an opposite, a rival, even! Yes, and it just had to be a girl. WIP, really weird story... Download the cover from my DeviantArt page !
1. Episode 1

**_I promised myself I wouldn't do this, but here is yet another story…Damn it… At first I wanted to make an alternate universe where everyone's genders are swapped, however, I realized that it wasn't what I wanted. This takes place directly before learn Rin is Satan's son, and before the whole "Impure King" thing. So, this happens right before the camping trip._**

**_For this fic I am going to act as if it's an actual episode. This means that whenever there's a new theme song, I shall describe the opening. This will happen only once per song, so expect if for chapter one and then never see it again until the next opening._**

* * *

**_赤の祓魔師_****_ – _****_Episode 1 – "The Demons Within"_**

* * *

A tiny brown puppy lay on its side, two of four of its legs scrambling madly. The other two limbs were broken and bleeding. Three teenage boys were looming over the animal, their sneakers smeared with its blood.

In the distance a lone girl watched as they prodded the desperate dog with their feet, wondering when it would finally die. She gripped the handlebar of her bike and grit her teeth.

_Those bastards…_

"What the hell are you doing?"

The tallest one, a shifty-eyed brunette with hunched shoulders, barely glanced her way.

"Move along sweetheart, nothing to see here."

The first mistake was telling her to move along; the second was calling her 'sweetheart'. It was barely ten seconds in between the time that it took for her to sprint over to the wicked trio. If anything, it taught them one thing: she may have been a 164 cm girl with an attitude but that never stopped her from picking fights. All she saw was red, her blind rage only fueling the megaton punch that she slammed into the delinquent's skull. Her fist was like a lead dumbbell to the face—unrelentingly painful.

It was only when she noticed that he was nice and bloody that she calmed down, which was time enough for his friends to jump into action.

"That chick is insane!" The shortest, roundest friend flung the boy over his right shoulder.

"She's some kind of demon! Let's go!" The lankier, more fragile-looking friend flung the injured boy over his left shoulder.

The three of them hobbled/ran away in a panicked mess of legs and arms.

It had taken only one punch, but Miyu's hand had seen better days. She held her left arm with her right hand and winced, looking down at the barely conscious animal at her feet.

"I'm the demon?" A touch of sadness crept into her eyes, but Miyu looked to her shoes before she could tear up. "You all are worse, far worse that I could be."

* * *

( Upbeat drums and lively electric guitar play. )

Zoom in to the logo, a red and white stylistic version of "Aka no Exorcist" that fills the screen.

( An enthusiastic saxophone plays in the background.)

The words are lit by a red flame, and behind the words the screen becomes white.

( Sei wo uke sorezore ga jinsei wo ouka )

Miyu springs upright in bed, and glances at the alarm clock, running out the door of her room in the boys' uniform with her hair untied and messy. A blue shinai bag is slung over her shoulder. Yukio looks to the camera in time with the lyrics.

(Nou no black box wo shiru sore wa kou ka).

She sprints out of the dorm and past Kuro, who yawns. Shiemi cameos for a bit as well, holding a small plant.

(You wa limit line wo subete ryou ga)

She arrives just in time to wait for the train to pass beside Rin, who is hopping impatiently from foot to foot. Konnekomaru, Bon, and Shima do some weird hand gestures while mouthing the words "ryou ga".

(Saa ikou ka fumidasu sore wa kyou da)

Izumo and Paku point into the distance while saying "ikou ka". Rin and Miyu, both sprinting to school side by side at this point, jump into the street, only to realize that a car is heading towards them. More specifically, Mesto Philes's ostentatious pink car.

A chibi Mesto Philes grins, winks and points.

(Yappa hibi wa ika sen kou sotsunaku konashitecha NO NO)

Split screen. Miyu and Rin are walking. Not side by side, but they do have the same "rebellious teenager" gait going for them. Goblins swarm around them harmlessly.

(Stop nagare wo miki wa me na mazu mono to mo sezu ikou ze (here we go))

Miyu passes by Rin, who is leaning on a random railing somewhere. He decides to join her for some reason in walking down the sidewalk, and ends up running on another railing next to the street.

(Todokanu mono ya kagiri aru mono ni) (Atsuku naru mune wo osaetsukeru no wa)

The wind blows Miyu's hair into the wind, overlaying with Rin walking by.

(Rikai mo sezu osaetsukeyou to shite kita) (Ano otonatachi to onaji jan ka yo)

Close up of Rin, walking with many people passing him by. Miyu is waiting for him when he does stop walking.

(Doushitatte kamawanai esoragoto darou ga)

It's raining, and Miyu is lying on the grass, looking to heaven as the drops fall earthbound.

(Mune wo moyasu hi wa dare ni mo keseya shinai)

Her pained face breaks into tears when she tries to pull herself up from the ground by the chainlink fence.

(Sore kara furu kuroi ame ga kono mi nurashi furi wa nakutemo)

Rin extends a hand to help her up, and she falls into his chest with sobs.

(Mada ore wa kawareru jibun de kaete miseru)

Close up of Rin's understanding face. He pats her on the head and she looks up to him.

(Kore ga sou « pride » sorezore no basho de)

She leans to kiss him, but the scene is cut short by…

(Mada mada kieru na kokoro no hi wo)

Mestophiles flies on screen, his cape billowing around him. Shima, popps up from the bottom of the screen, swinging his weapon. Shiemi, arrives in the same manner, with Nee-chan shooting green beams.

(Mada mada ikeru zo ikeru zo)

Bon, waves around his prayer beads rather awesomely. Izumo, attacks with her fox demons. Konekomaru begins his aria and holds his hands together in prayer. Yukio points his gun at the screen, causing a large flash.

(Oh baby my pride !)

Rin and Miyu are standing back to back with their swords undrawn, looking at the screen.

* * *

_"_**Brother….where is my sword****_?_**_"_

"I'm afraid I can't give it to you."

"**You wretch! I want my sword."**

"Sounding like a child, I see. Have you not heard?"

"_It's been destroyed_."

"**Amaimon**!"

"_It wasn't me…_"

"**What do you propose I do now? ****_That_**** day is drawing near**."

"_Why don't you get a new one, brother?_"

"Yes, why don't you?"

"**A new…sword?**"

* * *

A group of three girls are seated in a row before an altar. All of them were dressed in the traditional Miko uniform, a long red slightly pleated skirt and white kimono jacket. In each of their laps rested a boulder the size of a skull, each with a disturbingly distressed expression. Of course, these stones were none other than Baryon, and the girls were being punished for some reason. In front of the girls the priestess stood with crossed arms. Her hair was a long and silky, a dark dark purple that looked nearly black in the low light. She, in comparison to the others, wore an all-black kimono top with long pants of the same color.

They had been sitting there for thirty minutes already, so Mrs. Miyamoto decided that this was enough.

"…so I hope you all have learned your lessons."

She gestured for them to take the stones off of their laps and walked away, leaving them to brood.

* * *

"Miyu! I swear, I'll kill you one day!" A girl of roughly fifteen years smacked the offender on the back. "Mama always punishes us all, you know." Her puff of bright blue hair swirling around her face seemed to have devil-horns sticking out of it, but that was only because she was acting so cruelly at the moment. Atsuko Miyamoto was human through and through despite her usual stints of unkind behavior.

Miyu Himura flinched from her attack. The injury from that fight from earlier today had been jarred by Atsuko's frustrated smack. "I'm sorry," mumbled Miyu, cringing inside.

"Still…" The other girl, Atsuko's twin, Chikako, hadn't had a chance to chide her yet. "You should really apologize to Mama."

"Hmph," Miyu turned away stubbornly. She had saved that dog and now she was being scolded for it. Figures. Everyone saw the state of the poor thing when she brought it in, but that wasn't the point. Oh well, she had given up on trying to seem angelic long ago. Ever since Miu had died, there was always this little spot of darkness that had clouded her judgment. She stood, looking rather petulant in disposition. Her fists hung next to her sides limply. "I'm going to go change," she announced. "I got homework to do."

After all, aside from her afterschool job as a _miko_, Miyu had nothing to do. She had been grounded, of course, and it was always impossible to avoid getting caught sneaking out. Miyu walked to her room, the wooden sandals clunking against the floor loudly in her usual pilgrimage to her personal prison.

She walked into the modest little boxy room and flopped onto the western-style bed. There used to be a bunkbed, but it was removed a few years earler. In one corner was a desk filled with unfinished worksheets and drawings.

"A-a-alone in my world," she whispered, sitting up and staring out the window as a few pigeons flew past. Miyu wondered briefly how the puppy was doing. Hopefully they could keep him. She would call him…Sharin. Yeah, but to confuse people she could write it as "wa" in kanji. That was a nice idea. She rolled onto her stomach and sighed.

For a few seconds she merely lay there. She stood and walked to the far corner of the room where her closet was. Miyu took a deep breath and opened the door to reveal a (surprisingly) neat assortment of clothes. However, on the floor below the few outfits she owned was a small shrine. A picture of a young girl with bright red glasses was in the middle of the setup of incense and unlit candles. She glanced at it for a second before taking out a t-shirt and jeans.

Here in the shrine was where she grew up with her sisters Chikako, Atsuko, and Miu.

Miu was her twin sister, emphasis on _was. _

If only she hadn't gotten detention that day, everything would have worked out. If she hadn't, then those bullies wouldn't have cornered Miu. They wouldn't have hurt her. Her sister…would still be alive.

It was her fault, of course, but…did people have to be so cruel? Did they have to prey on the weak and innocent just to feel better about themselves?

No. The answer was always no.

She hated humans. Miyu hated them for being so evil, and she hated them for calling them such names: crybaby, loser, demon, bastard child. Oh, those kids were the demons, not her and her sister!

Sure, her temper was short but…she never hurt someone to simply hurt them. That was wrong. No, she was always just defending her sister.

* * *

"_The Twenty-ninth Spirit is Astaroth. _

_He is a Mighty, Strong Duke, and appeareth_

_ in the Form of an hurtful Angel riding on an _

_Infernal Beast like a Dragon,_

_ and carrying in his right hand a Viper._"

* * *

A couple hours later, and it was already dark. The twins were off preparing dinner, and Miyu had finally decided to study something instead of daydreaming and sulking. A pencil's eraser was in her mouth, and she was chewing it like bubblegum. She couldn't help her sisters because of her abominable skills in the kitchen, plus, she had a lot of work to do. Considering her constant procrastinating it was a miracle that she got into a high school. In reality, she had always wanted to go to True Cross Academy, but she figured that getting a scholarship was way over her head. Yes, she wasn't stupid. But Miyu could never get motivated enough to do her work, she constantly skated on the dangerous line of "barely passing".

She was halfway through her Algebra homework when all of the lights shut off. There was no warning when it happened, no flickering of lights. It simply was dark.

In the distance she heard a bell tolling.

"The alarm?"

Quickly, she began stripping, changing back into the _miko_ uniform. If the alarm was sounding, then it meant that everyone was to immediately report to the main shrine building. Miyu wondered what was so important, but decided not to dwell on it.

The bell tolled once more, louder this time.

For some reason, the sound reverberated throughout the entire place. As for Miyu, she clutched her head in pain and stumbled as she stood in her doorway. Her eyes were clamped shut for a few seconds, and then the stabbing sensation subsided after a moment or two. She was able to stay standing, but when she opened her eyes, something was wrong. A couple of blurry dark specks floated in and out of her vision.

She ran down the corridor, panting as she did.

Another tolling of the bell. This time the pain caused her to cry out, and she repeated the same ritual of recovery. First closing her eyes and holding her head, then opening them once again when the pain dissipated.

The blurry specks had gained some definition. They had gained tails and ears, and even…

"What the…?"

…even eyes?

Miyu was one of the last of the inhabitants of the shrine to reach their meeting place. Mrs. Miyamoto was already there with Chikako and Atsuko, directing the rest of the group. "You five! Enforce the spiritual barrier with Triple-C density holy water!" The high priestess barked orders to anyone nearby, the worst scenarios reflected in her eyes as she watched them scramble to obey.

"What is…going on?"


	2. Episode 2

**_Yes. Yes, for the love of Assiah, I know oni means demon. It was a pun on the trope. I GET IT EITHER YOU WANT ME TO KNOW OR YOU'RE TROLLING ME._**

* * *

_**赤いの祓魔師**_ – _**Episode 2 – "Lost Girl: The Princess of Hell" (Part One)**_

* * *

_Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, also known as Kusanagi. It is one of the most powerful swords in existence, rivaling even Kurikara. Like its brother-blade, it is forged of specialized steel infused with spiritual power. The process has been long forgotten by human swordsmiths, but there are a few exorcists who know of some parts of the process. Kusanagi is known to reside in the Chion-in Temple in Kyoto. It is said that the sword seals away some terrible force that once threatened the land fifteen years ago. However, that is only speculation amongst the miko that reside there. There had been only one threat at the time, but he is now being closely monitored. Designation: Rin Okumura, Son of Satan._

_- From the desk of Johann Faust V_

* * *

I so do love travelling. Yes, travelling _is_ the best. Being the lord of space and time helps with that, you know. A vacation into the past is always fun. That way I can get the limited edition boxed sets of my favorite anime. All I have to do is snap my fingers. Simple, no?

Oh, I always forget. Humans can't do such things. Well, neither can my fellow demons, so I guess you can say I'm special. I always have been, but I won't always be. You see, there is another.

How? When? Why?

To clarify, I would have to take you back fifteen years. I was on one of my frequent trips into the past, strolling down one particular street in Akihabara when I saw her.

The girl with the fox-like eyes.

* * *

ψ(｀∇´)ψ

* * *

"Ane-san!" said the twins when they spotted Miyu. They were huddled together behind Mrs. Miyamoto as the army of priests and priestesses prepared for the oncoming attack.

"Hey, guys…what's happening?"

The twins gave each other a glance. Truthfully, they had no idea. However, they did know that their mother was unusually nervous. Something bad was heading this way for no explained reason.

A priest clad in a similar outfit to Mrs. Miyamoto rushed over and bowed quickly. "Ma'am, we've purified the area of any remaining coal-tar." He adjusted his glasses when he was upright and waited for his instructions.

He didn't need to wait long. "Good. Don't let anything get in!" instructed the High-Priestess, pointing towards the doorway and donning a determined look.

He bowed once more. "Begin chanting Sutras!" he told the others.

Immediately the other miko began banging drums near the altar Mrs. Miyamoto and the three girls had been standing in front of.

_Bam bam bam, bam bam bam. _The drums reverberated and kept the time flawlessly. It was time for the chanting to begin.

"One should therefore not rely on mere words," intoned the assemblage, "but everywhere search for the intention behind them." Their eyes were focused on the doors, and their hands were folded in front of them in prayer. At the forefront were the secondary priestesses, and then the miko, then the priests and finally Mrs. Miyamoto and the girls.

Atsuko and Chikako followed suit, unable to sort out the reason for such instructions. Miyu meanwhile, was more confused than the both of them combined. She couldn't fathom the actions of the temple's inhabitants, nor could she bring herself to join them. It went on like this for only a couple of minutes before the real danger presented itself.

A loud clear chiming noise cut through the commotion, the second warning. In front of them the doors rattled violently. The rows of chanting priestesses flinched but their lips never paused in their supplications. Mrs. Miyamoto joined them as well, her dark magenta eyes still trained on the shaking entryway.

"_Karmanyeva-adhikaraste, ma phalesu kadachana_," said the four mikos sitting in front. "Be active, never be inactive, and don't react to the outcome of the work."

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

On the other side several reanimated dog corpses smashed against the door. They exploded for their attempts, dissolving into dark green dust. Advancing upon the temple doors was a lone figure, grinning as he did. Surprisingly the defenses for this holy site weren't as strong as the one the Young Prince had been hiding in. Only a few more minutes of attack, and the barrier would break, despite all the chanting in the world.

The tall dark-haired man grinned, his mouth full of razorblades. At the sides of his head were ram's horns, sticking out of the long greasy black hair, and he held his hands folded behind his back.

Astaroth chuckled darkly.

* * *

"Ma'am," said the priest from before. "I'm afraid the barrier is on brink of collapse!" He bowed several times and gave a baleful glance towards the doors.

"Che," Mrs. Miyamoto gritted her teeth. The announcement had broken her concentration. It seemed there was no other choice. "Chikako, Atsuko, Miyu."

"Yes, mother!" Chimed the twins, immediately springing up from the floor where they had knelt to pray. Miyu on the other hand said nothing but joined them in trotting to her side.

"Follow me." She turned on her heel swiftly and walked behind the altar. There, unseen by most visitors was a large trap door. There was a handle in which to slide back the doorway, and she tugged at it. It gave way easily to reveal a descending staircase. "Quickly, now." The High Priestess disappeared into the opening, followed by the teenagers.

It was a short hallway that was linked to a simple room with a shrine. Multiple candles were stationed around, and the floor was worn, for during all hours someone was stationed there to chant prayers. In the middle of this shrine…was a sword sheathed in a red cover. On the walls leading up to the setup was several yellowing talismans.

"This room was built to keep a great evil at bay," said Mrs. Miyamoto. "However, it is because of this sword…that we are being threatened."

"What?" Miyu looked at the sword. "Then why do we have it? Shouldn't it be in a safer place?"

The twins were looking at it as intently as their mother, when Chikako decided to speak up.

"Mother…don't tell me this sword is….?"

Atsuko laid a hand on her sister's shoulder. "'Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven', Kusanagi…but why is it _here_?"

Mrs. Miyamoto sighed and brushed back her bangs. "It is a long story, but we have no time for it." She faced the sword of in front of them and went to her knees. "_Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life_." Her index fingers were touching each other while the other fingers were entwined within one another. After she spoke the words, the talismans on the walls suddenly turned to ash and dissolved from existence. Immediately she stretched out her hand and took up the sword. "Miyu…this I believe is yours."

"What?" All three girls looked at the outstretched weapon in disbelief.

"There's no time to argue. I'm sorry to tell you this, Miyu." Her eyes were downcast, not daring to look the teen fully in lieu of the announcement she was about to release.

"Tell me what?" Her ruby eyes held traces of confusion and irritation, but Miyu could tell that this was urgent by her mother's mannerisms.

Then the bombshell fell, smashing their mirror-like world into a trillion little pieces. With no emotion her tone and a cold pair of eyes, Mrs. Miyamoto suddenly looked into Miyu's soul.

"You are not completely human."

Chikako immediately was outraged. Everything she had believed for 15 years of her life was turned on its head, and it was not a nice feeling to have slither inside her stomach.

"What are you saying mother? Miyu's our sister!"

The priestess shook her head immediately, the plum-tinted strands fluffing in every direction. "No, no she's not, not really. She's…adopted, if you could call it that."

Miyu's heart felt hollow. "Miu too?" she squeaked.

"Yes." She took in the painful expression on the girl's face but continued nonetheless. "Your mother…was my best friend. Your father…was a demon." Her eyes took on a dangerous sparkle. "And not just any demon…one of the eight demon kings, Samael himself." With her other hand the priestess tossed Atsuko a plain white cell phone. "There's only one number on that phone. The second I leave, you call it!"

Atsuko flinched at her mother's distressed tone, but she nodded slowly and looked to the phone. Miyu could barely hear the rest of the instructions. Chikako nodded as well, her fists clenched and her eyes never leaving Miyu, who was now holding Kusanagi.

Mrs. Miyamoto left to join the others upstairs, tears sparkling in her eyes.

* * *

_I'm not fully human?_

-Miu with her kind magenta eyes smiled at Miyu.-

_Does that mean, those kids were right?_

-A young, eight year old Miyu stood in front of her twin, facing a group of rowdy kids. Her fist raised, and the children holding injuries.-

_All this time, the reasons I was so different…_

* * *

By the time Miyu had come to her senses, Mrs. Miyamoto was gone, and Atsuko was already on the phone, speaking with a certain top-hatted Headmaster. From above, the girls could hear screams and constant shouting.

At that moment Atsuko hung up the phone. She and her twin looked to the trapdoor that had once been open. "This is terrible," said Chikako. "This is just…terrible." The blue-haired girls were trembling with fear, while Miyu was trembling with totally different emotions. Pure, unfaltering rage being one of the components of her disturbed state of mind. Overhead they could all hear the sounds of suffering and violence, but they were powerless to stop it.

"Atsuko," said Miyu, still gazing at the sword within her hands. "This is a Demon-slaying sword, isn't it?"

"It is, but…" the bluenette searched her memory. "If what mother just said is correct, then I can only assume that the rumor was true."

"Rumor?"

"That it's sealing some sort of unholy power of demonic origin," said Chikako. "One that threatened us…fifteen years a—oh my god." She covered her mouth in realization and dropped to her knees, the realization dawning on her too quickly to completely comprehend. "It was talking about you and Miu!"

Miyu gripped the sheathed blade. "Do you know what will happen if I draw the sword, then?"

The sisters said nothing, too afraid to answer.

"Tell me!" she growled, an animalistic noise better suited for a tiger. A bit of smoke was rising from the sword, where the handle met the sheath. The twins trembled some more.

"Nothing good," they said at once, their eyes blank disks.

"I'm going to help them." The redhead was beginning to ascend the stairs.

Atsuko began to follow after her, a hand gripping the end of the sleeve of Miyu's kimono top. "But…there could be a powerful demon up there!"

She didn't feel inclined to look at the person she had thought was her sister at the moment. "I…know." Her teeth ground into one another in frustration. "But, wouldn't it be shameful to just die here cowering like children!?"

The hand attached to her sleeve fell away. Miyu ascended the steps with a steady pace, a battlefield before her. Rows of mushrooms and corpses were directly ahead, all lying in wait of one single weapon. She didn't know how it would play out, but it was better than dying as a coward.

In spite of it all, she cracked a smile. Kendo club had never come in handy until now.


	3. Episode 3

**_Yes, Oni means demon…I know. And this latest chapter is dedicated to ~NinjaGuitarPlayer._**

* * *

**_赤いの祓魔師_** – **_Episode 3 – "Lost Girl: The Princess of Hell" (Part Two)_**

* * *

There was a demon in front of her, an actual demon. It filled her with both dread and anticipation. She was like this monster? He had sharp needles for teeth and horns, and a deadly, dark miasma poured from his open mouth. Sweat beaded upon her forehead, trailing down her face and meeting with her lip.

Miyu tried not to look down.

Burgundy wine stained the floors, accompanied by several bodies covered in mushrooms. Beside her feet was Mrs. Miyamoto; the mushrooms not encroaching upon her, but she was in pain and clutching her stomach all the same. A thin trail of blood could be seen leaking from the corner of her mouth, and her eyes were barely open.

"Miyu…" she rasped, "don't unsheathe…the sword."

She wanted to ask why, but Miyu was too concerned, too nervous about the demon in front of her. Rage boiled in her veins, lusting for the blood of her comrades to be avenged.

"I see you've finally surrendered," said Astaroth, looking self-assured. "You've come to hand-deliver my new sword? How thoughtful."

He took a step toward her, reaching out for the weapon, but stopped short. It was a strange sense of déjà vu that washed over him when he noticed a key thing.

On the edges of her sleeves…were small red flames. Her eyes, almost glowing with hatred, were of the same color.

"You," she snarled. "You damned demon!" She backed up, her hand on the grip; ready to draw at any moment.

"So it seems you can see my true form. Not all of these weaklings could. However, who might _you_ be? Those flames…are oddly familiar."

She ignored his idle chatter and went straight to the point. "I'm going to kill you where you stand." The cold cruelty in her voice was apparent in spite of her fear.

This statement was amusing for the King of Rot. "Oh? With my own sword?" Arrogance was only one of the qualities he displayed on his face, along with the evident humor.

"This isn't _your_ sword. It's mine." Her grip around the sacred object tightened, her face set into a stubborn frown.

He cocked his head to the side. "And how do you figure that, little one?"

"Because," she pulled the blade from its scabbard, a thumb resting on the ferrule and the other hand around the cord on the scabbard. "It'll be used to defeat you!" A blinding light poured from Kusanagi as it slid into view. And as it did, Miyu visibly changed. Flames erupted all over her body, all of them a vivid red. Her canines became more like fangs than teeth, and a long black tail from behind materialized into view. Her ears were small and delicate, but still disturbingly pointy despite them being hidden by her long hair.

Mrs. Miyamoto could only watch with wavering consciousness as her precious daughter suddenly became a monster. Tears pooled in her eyes for a brief moment, then she was consumed by the everlasting darkness.

_You can't turn back, Miyu…I'm sorry._

Now this was getting interesting! Sure, it was taking longer than he expected to retrieve the weapon, but to find out it was acting as a seal? This was too good to be coincidence. It just had to be fate. Which meant that he had not reason to go easy on her.

It was a gruesome thing to watch this newest host transform. Bones snapped like toothpicks, rearranging around the growing mass of a torso he called a body. His tail, long and unyielding, burst from his spine, and the face changed into a large inhuman monstrosity. The two sticks for legs he once had expanded into more muscled, stocky tree trunks that resembled a goats hind quarters.

"Face me if you dare!"

His hands were just as beastly in appearance, having large deadly claws that could rip any human into pieces.

"Raaaaaaa!" The power coursing through her was unbelievable. Miyu could barely understand what had happened to her, but she did know it was like tasting freedom for the first time in her life. She ran to the demon's outstretched claws, his smirk warm and inviting. The sword felt as if it were moving on its own, despite it being guided by her years of loafing around in Kendo club. Astaroth's arm came up to swipe at her, but she stopped it neatly with her blade. Using the newfound strength she found herself with, Miyu pushed him away.

Astaroth stumbled, but he didn't fall. Instead he lashed out with some of the lesser demons. The dog corpses leapt at her, aiming for Miyu's neck. Instinctively she sliced through them, and they dissolved from the flame-coated sword. These attacks only enraged her further, and the flames reacted to her irritation by swaying fiercely as if blown by the wind.

His fist came down dangerously close, but she narrowly escaped it due to sheer luck. The coal tar swarmed around them, burning up at an alarming rate.

"Die!" shouted Miyu. Her sword was slashing at him blindly now, the rage from before beginning to overtake her sanity.

For a moment Astaroth held a shred of fearthat shone in his eyes. Her attack pattern had changed so drastically it was no longer predictable. A large mushroom demon he had summoned in front of him as a shield was sliced through without any hesitation, and the bloodlust in her eyes was growing wilder.

"O Lord, bind a millstone around its neck." A cool, collected voice cut through the clamor. "So that it shall never again rise," there was the sound of faint footsteps approaching the two from behind, "from the depths of the Leviathan!"

As the Fatal Verse continued to be chanted, Astaroth felt dread shower him with despair. Was that…his brother's voice? That damned traitor!

Behind the demon she was fighting she saw a form walk into the main hall. The man who stepped forward wore a white cape, a white suit, and a white top hat, with matching shoes and cane to match. "Chain it in darkness eternal," he purred in a low voice, "where it will not hear nor see!" He thrust his cane in the direction of Astaroth, and at the exact same moment the demon was exorcised. The coal tar came rushing out of his mouth so fast it looked like a swarm of bats flying out of a cave. He gradually began to shrink back to his original human self, the pinkness of his skin returning and the horns disappearing.

Lord Mephisto Philes walked up to the sleeping form and sighed as he nudged him with the cane.

"My brother was always the insensitive prick."

Miyu held her sword up uncertainly at the new, unknown man. He obviously did not seem human, with his fangs and references to being brethren with a certain exorcised demon.

"It's alright, my dear," he said gently, Mephisto's expression softening somewhat unexpectedly.

The voice was soothing for some reason to her ears, but Miyu could not pinpoint why. The shock of all the events was beginning to make her crumble internally.

Mephisto picked up the sheath and gestured for the sword.

For yet another unfound reason she found herself complying with the request. She watched him replace Kusanagi into the holder, and the flames on her slowly began to recede. It snapped shut and they disappeared, along with the elf ears.

The tail remained, but she wasn't concerned about it.

All of the death surrounding them. It…was creeping into her consciousness. She felt sick, and weak, and everything else at once. Relief for being saved, for one. But sadness too. She knew her mother was dead, but she couldn't pull herself together to go see the lifeless body now lying on the ground.

It was…all too much. The tears were gathering now.

Mephisto Philes did the one thing no exorcist that knew him ever thought he would do. He embraced the now crying girl and let her sob into his chest. With the one gloved hand not holding the sword he held her close and pat her on the head to soothe her.

"Shhh," he whispered, "it's okay." He looked down at the half-demon child as he had only once before and smiled with bittersweet solace. "Papa's here."

* * *

_**I've no idea why this chapter made me cry. It just did.**_


	4. Episode 4

**_So. Next chapter. I hope to update regularly. Wow. Anonymus~! You just spoiled the next few chapters...augh. Oh well. The only reason she has flames is because of what Mephisto said before about it being a demon's heart. Oh, and you'll find Miyu's stats on my DeviantArt page soon too. Her powers are sorta weird though. I wanted a little of both worlds when I came up with the story, so here's the next chapter. P.S. Which of you guessed correctly who her father was?_**

* * *

**_赤いの祓魔師 – _****_Episode 3 – "Mayo Chiki?!"_**

* * *

Miyu couldn't remember much of the night after that fateful meeting with her "true father." All she knew was that she was already healed up by the time she had woken up. Her sisters, well, her adoptive sisters, were still alive at least, that was one thing that she was grateful for. Their goodbye consisted of a staring contest and many tears and hugs, but it was a bittersweet ending to her life at the temple.

She sighed deeply and looked out the limo's window.

Each and every time she blinked, Miyu could see Mrs. Miyamoto's broken form lying on the floor boards, struggling to hold onto life. To her surprise (and relief) the image hadn't haunted her dreams, but her waking moments instead. However, this only made getting through the day all the more difficult.

The strangely soothing voice cut into her inner turmoil before she could continue to dwell on such "Once again, my dear Miyu, why did you insist upon this?"

Her Father, Mephiso Philes. A demon. It sickened her, yet there were traces of intrigue in her underlying thoughts. The question he had asked was simple enough. The reason he had asked? Well, for one, when preparing all the necessary things for her immediate transfer to True Cross Academy, Miyu had requested a boys' uniform.

"I told you...father..." That particular word was so foreign to her that she couldn't believe that it actually came out of her mouth. "I don't want the whole school seeing my tail. Besides, I think it could be fun to pose as a guy, y'know?"

Even if she was his child, this 'Miyu' girl was certainly odd. Especially in all the ways that he hadn't expected.

"I told you, normal students won't be able to see it."

Though she had a point with that 'disguised as a boy' business. Mephisto was a fan of all genres of manga and anime, so he could see the logic in that. Why, there were many gender bender fandoms he enjoyed, so he figured why not? Besides, she was partially right. The other students, despite being Exorcists, would probably be extremely distracted by such a small detail about her.

"I don't really care whether or not they see it, but it's...embarrassing."

Her statement was followed by a light painting of pink across her face.

"I always knew you would grow up to be a refined young Lady," Mephisto said, smirking. It was proper etiquette to hide your tail of course, since it was a major weak point of demons the world over. He hadn't told her this fact, but he was glad to see she had innate need to conceal it.

"Me?" Miyu snorted in contempt like an overgrown hog. "A 'refined young Lady'?" She straightened out the uniform jacket over her extremely flat chest. "I* am a kickass shrine maiden who beat up a demon king. _I_ am going to be an Exorcist."

"How brave of you," he said, still looking at her intently, referring to her use of a rather unfeminine noun for 'I' in Japanese. His viridian eyes took a glance outside the window, thought he didn't need to. Mephisto had sensed the second they passed the spiritual barrier. "We're here. Academy City."

For a brief moment she looked outside. It didn't really interest her much, so Miyu began her preparations. The uniform was already on, so she didn't need to change when she got there. There was only one thing she had to do, though.

"Is there a mirror I can borrow?"

The words were barely out of her mouth when he decided to provide such a simple object.

"Eien, Swei, Drei!"

_Click!_

Mephisto snapped his fingers. In the air in front of her was suddenly a hovering mirror. Miyu stared at it for a second before getting to work. By now she was already used to his odd powers. It was the same finger-snapping method that he had used to pack her belongings away, after all. Sure, when she saw the nearly-bottomless trunk appear out of thin air and her things fly into the hungry receptacle, she had a mini-breakdown. But he'd done quite a few more impossible things while in front of her, so she had already become accustomed to it.

"May I have a scissors as well?" she asked politely, mocking a high-class refined tone.

Again, he conjured up the item she requested. Miyu took it fast in her hands, spurting out a quick "thanks" before getting to work. Mephisto looked on from beneath his top hat as she proceeded to slice off her hair. She started slowly at first, not trying to cut her bangs at all, but focusing on the actual length of hair that flowed down her back.

She decided just above her shoulders was a good place to cut it at.

"So you're serious about this?" the demon said, his amused grin still stretched wide.

_Snip Snip. _Several more dark red strands came off in her hands.

"Of course," she said, trying not to chop off her bangs while shaping back.

"I see…" he looked at the completed disguise and felt a surge of joy that the apple did not fall far from the tree. "Well Miyu-_kun_**, I hope your first day will be very memorable."

* * *

…

* * *

They parted ways away from the main building, so that most of the students wouldn't see her departing from the large Pepto-Bismol colored car. He gave her a ring full of three keys before she did go, however. One was a direct link to his office. The second was the key to the Exorcist school. The third was to her new dormitory.

"Oh, Miyu," said Mephisto before she left. "By any chance would you like me to unpack your things before you go to the dorm?"

"Uh, sure?" she was surprised by the request, but had no reason to refuse. It was less work for _her_, after all. "Just…make sure no one really sees you…" she added quickly "…or my things, please."

"You'll be staying in a special dorm," he explained. "Since your newly awakened demonic powers could become difficult to handle for you."

"A-alright."

"So for the most part you'll have the building to yourself," he said brightly, "save for another half-demon and his twin brother."

"What?"

"It's alright, I've instructed them to give you space. You're on the whole other side of the building after all, so you should only see them in class." He waved his hand to denote a carefree attitude about the whole arrangement. "However, I would advise not to ask whom their father is."

"Why's that?"

"Now _that_ is a secret." He put a finger over his lips to denote the seriousness of the situation. "Still, I would advise you to keep your flames hidden, young lady."

"My flames?"

"Yes. You can always explain away your ears, tail, and teeth, but the flames would certainly be a difficult manner to explain. This is especially so, since they would begin to ask who your father is."

She bowed shallowly, the short hair following the simple tilt of her head.

"I understand, father."

"What a good child," he muttered to himself. "Well goodbye, _dear_. Have a good day at school!" He waved flamboyantly, and she timidly returned the gesture with mounting chagrin. It took all her self-control not to blush stoplight red at that moment. It was an odd fuzzy feeling to have your own father say that on the first day of high school, despite his absence over the years. He had good reason, though, she realized quickly. He was a very powerful demon, as she was told. His evident power over space (and time, as he had explained as well) was proof enough of that.

She wondered if she could do that too. Make things appear if she wanted them. Miyu shook her head. Later, she'd ask him later if he could help her with that.

Kusanagi was slung over her back in a blue sword holder. "Let's go, Miu," she whispered to the air, walking forward to the main school building.

* * *

It was the typical first day for a main character in a manga, especially if they were in high school: 1) go to homeroom, 2) introduce yourself to the class, 3) get a seat near the window, 4) daydream the whole day, 5) get into a fight…

Wait, _what_?

Miyu had been doing fine up until lunch. Yeah, sure. She had been snarky and quite the spitfire in class. Answering questions, pretending to be a boy, having girls flock around her for some reason, it all was good. She'd even noticed a few hot guys in the class that she would remind herself to befriend later. Most of all, she was surprised that the disguise had even worked.

Maybe it worked a little too well.

Maybe that was why one of the students had challenged her to a fight. A _male_ student no less.

He had called her a "stuck-up pretty boy" who wanted to steal all the hot girls away. The little bastard couldn't have been farther from the truth.

"And what's with that dumb sword you carry around?" he jibed, pointing at Kusanagi. "Not another one of you effin' cosplayers around here!"

Miyu wanted to ask about the other 'cosplayer' but was cut off by an attack at her "girly" name.

For some reason that was what pushed her over the edge.

"You want a fight, shitface?" she said, cracking her knuckles. The nondescript boy took his own stance, both fists raised in front of him. For a moment the air was so tense you could slice it with a katana. But then something odd happened.

Miyu walked past him before he could react. "What an iiiidiot. I'm not fighting you."

The girls swooned at the display. It was just so cool of "him" to do that!

"What?" said the challenger, staring after the retreating form of Miyu. His face was getting redder by the moment, mostly from embarrassment at such a harsh rejection.

She paused, one hand holding Kusanagi over her right shoulder as she glanced backwards.

"Don't pick fight you know you'll lose," warned the new student. And with that, she left the fuming boy to stew in his own anger, held back by a couple of his friends.

* * *

…

* * *

Lunch had gone smoothly, despite the requests to sit with her by a couple of people. Her father gave her plenty of money for food for the month, so she was having a good day ordering up all the Western food she could eat.

By the time it was time for Exorcist school she was content and ready for some _real_ learning. No more of that stupid high school busywork. She was ready to become an Exorcist.

_…for Mama._

She was going help as many people as she could.

So. Any door could be opened with the key and it would take her there, huh? She reached into the pants pocket and pulled out the keyring. The one with the heart engraved on it was Papa's office…creepy. The one with the moon on it was the dorm. So, the one with the star had to be the one to the cram school. She went over to a nearby hallway door and put in the key. One turn, she opened the door, and she was in the hallway of the Exorcist school.

Well, that was unexpectedly easy. She tracked down the classroom with the number Papa had given her, and went in. Glad to know it hadn't started yet, she sat down at one of the seats in the front and leaned her sword on the chair she was sitting on. There were only two others sitting in the classroom with her, but like before when she introduced herself to the class, Miyu was too shy to speak to them, let alone tell them her name without a prompt. It wasn't long until a few more people arrived, including a blonde girl in a uniform and a very tall boy with glasses.

"Morning class," said the megane, smiling at his tiny group of cute students. His eyes were a bright electric blue, and there were…a couple of very conspicuous moles on his face. Miyu tried not to stare at the distracting features, but failed miserably.

"Morning, sensei," the students answered, at varied volumes.

_'SENSEI?' _thought Miyu, glancing at the boy who was probably no older than her. '_That guy? He's a teacher?'_

"Today we will be going over some important points you'll need to know about Pharmacology for the exam." He began taking out some papers from his briefcase and placing them on his desk at the front of the classroom. "Now, first I'd like to take the time to—,"

_BANG!_

The door flew open and collided with the wall to reveal a disheveled-looking Rin.

"Ah…I'm toast," he said, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry I'm late, guys."

"What is this, the fifth time in a row?" said Bon under his breath.

"As I was saying," Yukio's eyebrow was twitching in annoyance. "I'll be passing out last week's quiz." His eyes scoped the room before he ventured out, however, and landed on the one unfamiliar face. He blinked in surprise. He had heard from the headmaster that there was going to be a new student, but he didn't expect them to slip in unnoticed like this. Not even an introduction or announcement of their arrival had been given. Instead, the person in question sat at one of the desks in the front, and remained silent and attentive.

This was eerie in its own way.

"We…have a new student," Yukio said. Miyu flinched at the minor introduction. "Would you please introduce yourself to the class?"

She stood. "Miyu Himura. Nice to meet you all." That was it. She returned to her seat.

"Well, thank you Himura-kun," said Yukio, grinning warmly.

* * *

_* In this sentence, she uses the form 'boku', a very uncommon way of referring to yourself in Japanese. Even though she uses it interchangeably with 'atashi' (a cute form of "I"), she switches to it exclusively for school. 'Boku' is normally used by tomboys in anime, and helps to serve with ambiguity as to her gender when amongst her classmates._

_** An honorific usually used in reference to boys. But sometimes used for underclassmen or those of lower rank. _


End file.
